Stay Another Day
by Bedazzled Star
Summary: Have you ever wondered what would of happened if Georg had never declared his love for Maria? Here you can explore it...
1. Please Stay

Stay Another Day: Chapter One  
  
Maria arose from her bed as the sunlight hit her bedroom window. Yawning, she got out of bed and drew back her curtains looking out at the lakeside where she had been standing last night deep in thought. Brushing her sandy hair back, she put on her dressing gown and remembered why she had come back; to look after the children she cared so dearly for. She remembered the words of the Mother Abysses, 'you must face your problems', but how could she? He was the father of the children she governed.  
  
****  
  
"Morning." She said as she sat down at the breakfast table.  
  
Georg looked up at her with a vivid smile, "Morning Fraulein".  
  
She looked around "Where are the children?" She asked as she pretended to poor her glass of orange juice in a carefree manner.  
  
Georg looked up from his toast "Oh, they've finished." He said with an indignant smile.  
  
"Finished?" She replied "But we always have breakfast at the same time."  
  
Georg looked up again as he finished his last bite of toast brushing the crumbs from his hands, "Well, I wanted to discuss something with you."  
  
"Oh?" She replied, her heart beating inside.  
  
"Yes, well something I didn't want the children to hear... just yet."  
  
Maria placed her hand on the glass and began twiddling it nervously.  
  
"You see, me and Elsa... Baroness Schrader have gone our separate ways you see.." He said looking into his mug of coffee.  
  
Maria stopped fiddling with the glass and looked up "Oh... I am sorry."  
  
"No, no, no don't be." He replied with a reassuring smile as he took a sip of his coffee.  
  
"May I ask why Captain?" She asked.  
  
Georg smiled, one of the things he loved about her was her ability to be nosey, "Well, I guess we...we weren't compatible. She loved her life too much in Berlin and to keep her here would be just... well....cruel."  
  
Maria nodded her head cautiously, "I am sorry Captain."  
  
Georg smiled, "So, we'll be needing a fulltime governess..." He said with a glint of hope in his voice.  
  
"Oh." Maria replied.  
  
"I was hoping you would stay...." He said with such persuasion and hope in his voice.  
  
Maria felt gleeful, "Of course, if that's what you want!"  
  
Georg looked up from his coffee mug, "More than anything in the world (darling)" 


	2. Calling Up

As Maria leaned over the gate to the lake as she had done the day before, she was watching the harmonicas birds tweeting in the distance as the sun set across the lake. Thinking about the one thing that had been on her mind since her return.  
  
"Fraulein!" She heard a call. It was Frau Schmitt. "Sorry to disturb you but the Captain wishes to see you."  
  
Maria turned around from the lake and looked startled at her, "He wants to see me? About what?"  
  
"He didn't say." Frau Schmitt replied before starting to walk away, "He said it with a matter of some urgency."  
  
"Right, okay, I'll go straight away." Maria said noticing the hint of importance in Frau Schmitt's voice.  
  
**** Georg rubbed his hands over his face as he read the telegram again. The words recycling in his head like leaves in a fast wind. 'You have been requested to take your place in the Navy of the Third Right'. As he heard a knock on the door, he quickly hid the telegram in his pocket in case it was one of the children.  
  
Maria entered; looking rather worried she shut the door behind her, "Frau Schmitt said you wanted me." She said.  
  
"Oh yes." He replied almost forgetting he had called for her. He got up from his chair and gestured for her to take the seat he had sat on.  
  
"Is everything alright?" She asked as she sat down watching his worried expression on his face.  
  
Georg took the telegram out of his pocket and passed it to Maria. She took it and began reading it.  
  
"Oh dear!" She said out loud as she read the words of the telegram. "You're not going to accept are you?"  
  
Georg took a seat next to her, bending over in an attempt to make his communication more personal to her, "No, no. I wouldn't dream of it. But....it really isn't that simple."  
  
Maria looked up as she passed him back the telegram. "Really?" She asked in a rather worried tone.  
  
"To go against the Third Right is unthinkable." He said as he broke eye contact from her in order for him to rub his hands over his face again. "Unless..." He rose quickly, "Unless I am no longer in the country!" He said with an intriguing expression on his face.  
  
"You're leaving?" Maria asked with a disappointed expression on her face beginning to think how heartless he was being.  
  
Georg turned around taking his place next to Maria again. "We're leaving." He announced in a sincere tone. "All of us. We need to leave Austria. It's not safe for us to stay." And with this, he took hold of her hand and patted it reassuringly in a friendly manner.  
  
"How long have we got?" Maria asked feeling her skin go goose pimply.  
  
"I've been requested to join the Third Right Navy on the 30th of this month, so that gives us 3 weeks." He said as he arose from his chair again. "Plenty of time to get out of Austria."  
  
Maria looked to the floor in worry, worry for the safety of the children, and worrying that she will never get to tell him what the Mother Abyss had made her promise to do, to tell him how she really felt about him. 


	3. Butterfly Loving

As Maria closed the door of the study, she felt her heart beating fastly inside. She'd been in Austria for all her life, it was her home, yet she was willing to flee it right away for him... She had never been so in love. She was sure he no longer felt the same, but she knew they shared a spark. A spark she wanted to light into a massive bonfire.  
  
****  
  
At dinner time their was a certain resiliance of silence at the table. The children all sitting quietly eating their dinner sensing that something was up, Georg and Maria giving knowing glances to each other.   
  
"Father?" Brigittal asked breaking this uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Yes Brigitta." He answered almost showing a sigh of relief of the broken silence.  
  
"Where is the Baroness?" She asked getting a nudge from Kurt.  
  
Georg placed his fork down on his plate as though he had rehersed this moment earlier. Maria glanced up at him from her dinner.   
  
"It's okay Father. Brigitta needs to learn how to mind her own business!" Kurt said sensing that something really was up by the glances that Georg and Maria were exchanging.  
  
Georg grinned as he picked up his wine glass. "No no, there is something that I need to tell all of you." He said as he took a longing sip of wine before he began.   
  
All of the children looked at their father putting their forks on their plates.  
  
"Me and the Baroness have been talking." He said as he placed his wine glass on the table and tried to gain a relaxed posture by leaning a little back on his chair. "We decided that we should go our seperate ways."  
  
The children all tried to compose their faces in a sorrowful nature but underneath they were happy.  
  
"I'm sorry Father." Fredrick said almost as if he was on auto-pilot. The other children nodded their heads accordingly.  
  
"It was for the best." Georg smiled before glancing once more at Maria remembering wat Elsa had said about Maria.  
  
The children smiled. Louisa glanced at Maria who was still entwined in Georg's smile.   
  
"Father?" Liesl asked.   
  
He broke away from the longing stare of Maria and looked at his oldest daughter. "Hmm?"  
  
"May we leave the table?" She asked.  
  
"Oh yes." He said sipping the last of his wine as the children arose and exited the room.  
  
Maria finished the last of her meal and stood up from the table.  
  
"Oh, Maria?" Georg asked as she caught his eye sight once again.   
  
"Yes?" She responded looking into the blue of his eyes.   
  
He signalled for her to sit down on the chair next to him. He had an air in his eyes of pain. Pain of strugling to fight for what he wanted. He wanted so much to tell her she was the reason he called off the engagement. That ever since she had graced the house with music he had been in love with her.  
  
She sat down ready wondering what he was going to say next.... 


	4. Perfect Moment

For a few moments they sat in silence. You could feel the air of tension building up to what Georg was going to say (or what he wanted to say). Leaning over towards Maria, eyes staring right into hers, he smiled nervously yet with some humour in order to create a little more comfort out of a tight situation.  
  
"Maria." He said as he drew he took hold of her hand.  
  
Maria felt her heart skip. He'd never been like this with her before. He'd always treat her like an employee. That's what had drawn her to him, his authoritative approach to everything.  
  
Georg smiled again, this particularly nervous smile that Maria had never been accustomed to. "There is something I have wanted to tell you for a while...." His face looking as though he was in so much pain that he needed to get this thing out of his chest.  
  
Maria sat, composed, trying to hope that this was the moment she had been waiting for, but holding back just in case it wasn't.  
  
"I've...I've been dishonest." He said, dropping his smile to a more sincere facial expression. "I've led you.... and Elsa along." He stopped and let go of Maria's hand placing his index finger on his chin in a nervous posture.  
  
Maria felt her heart beating faster than a train. She was almost certain now that he felt the same way as she did.  
  
"I've had these feelings....feelings I have been trying to fight for a long, long time." Georg said hesitantly, checking for signs like Maria was that she was feeling the same way. "Feelings that I can't control."  
  
Maria felt her face burning, like on the night of the party.  
  
"Oh god, I've tried." He said. "I've tried so much to not love this woman....." Leaning forward he took hold of her shaking hand. You could sense the true feeling of pain in his eyes. "I love you Maria..."  
  
And with that, he leant forward and they kissed. Gently, he placed his hand on her neck, kissing more passionately. Maria felt her heart flutter as he brushed her hair through his hands. She had her man, he had his lady, against all odds. 


	5. Heart On My Sleeve

As they slowly kissed, Maria felt a tingle down her spine. For so long she had been waiting for this moment, and now it had finally come, it felt so special. Georg placed his hand on her neck and broke away from the kiss to whisper "I love you!" in her ear. This sent another tingle down her spine. His calm sexy voice just did it for her. Maria looked gazingly into his eyes and smiled, smiled in a way that she had never smiled before. For once, she was happy. He took hold of her hand once more and looked down at it.  
  
"I love you too." Maria said as Georg looked up at her and smiled. He placed his two fingers on her face and slid them down romantically.  
  
Maria sat in total awe. She couldn't believe how somebody like him could possibly love her. Just looking at him was enough to satisfy her.  
  
He clasped her hand as he looked up at her. "It's you that has got me through the last few days....."  
  
Maria looked up and smiled. She knew what strain he was under with the telegram and Elsa. She smiled and clenched his hand back.  
  
Georg smiled again and let go of her hand yet still gazing at her. "I want to thank you."  
  
"You don't have to thank me for anything." She whispered.  
  
"Oh god, I really love you." He said quietly. "It's been killing me not knowing if you loved me back, knowing that I shouldn't love you."  
  
Maria looked up, she suddenly felt the urge to open her heart too. "You don't know how much I felt the same." She said as she looked up. "I'd look at you all the time and it was hell knowing that it was wrong of me to love you."  
  
Georg smiled. This heart to heart was making him feel weak. He remembered how he was when Maria entered the house. "I'm sorry for how I treated you." He said sounding genuinely apologetic.  
  
"Like I said, you don't need to apologise for anything."  
  
****  
  
Morning arose. Maria woke up with her head placed on Georg's chest. As the sun poked through the curtains she smiled contently at him. He was already awake and was stroking his hands through her hair. She remembered last night. They had lay there for hours just talking, nothing else. It had been so special, she wondered how any better her life could get.  
  
"Maria?" Georg whispered softly into her ear.  
  
She turned around so she was facing him. "Hmm?"  
  
"Its time to get up." He whispered again. "We need to get the house sorted."  
  
Maria remembered. They had discussed last night about leaving the following evening. She smiled contently giving Georg reassurance. "Everything will be okay you know!" She said seeing Georg's insecurity in his face.  
  
"I know." He whispered. "As long as we have each other, nothing can get worse."  
  
Maria smiled again. He placed his hand on her face and gazed at her longingly. 


	6. End of an Era

As Maria slowly started packing a few clothes in her bag ready for their escape, she stopped for a minute, staring into space. She was so happy over what had happened the night before yet she was so scared for the uncertainty of the family.  
  
Georg approached the room, seeing Maria staring into space, he wrapped his arm around her from behind and kissed her neck.  
  
"The children are ready." He said in a reassuring whisper.  
  
Maria turned around and smiled at him, "What did you tell them?"  
  
"Just that we were going on an adventure." He laughed trying to add some humour to the situation. "I told Liesl, Fredrick and Louisa the truth. I didn't think they would believe the adventure story!"  
  
Maria smiled, "And what did they say?"  
  
"That they understood. That's all they could say really..." He said as he stared into space momentarily before looking Maria back in he eyes.  
  
Maria smiled; she was dreading how the children were going to react. After all, they would be leaving their luxurious villa for a life of uncertainly. It could be seen as an adventure none the less for the younger ones.  
  
Georg placed his hand in his pocket and drew out a blue satin box. Maria looked down at it in surprise. "Maria, I want you to have this." He said as he opened it and revealed a beautiful golden necklace with a diamond encrusted cross on it. "It was my grandmothers." He said as he took it out of the box and fitted it around her neck.  
  
Maria grasped the necklace in awe. It was gorgeous. No one had ever brought her anything so wonderful. "Thank you!" She said staring in the mirror at it. "It's absolutely beautiful."  
  
Georg smiled, "Just like you."  
  
Maria turned around and kissed him emotionally on the lips signifying her happiness. "Come on, let's go." She said as she pulled away from their kiss rubbing his arm supportingly.  
  
"Yes." He said with a smile.  
  
Maria zipped up her small bag passing it to Georg. "I didn't know what to pack." She said with uncertainty.  
  
Georg smiled and placed an arm around her as they walked out of the room. "We have what we need."  
  
"Yes." Maria smiled. "We have each other."  
  
They walked down the stairs, arm in arm. The children were sitting on the stairs and greeted Georg and Maria with a gasp of surprise. It then dawned on both of them that they had not yet told the children of their relationship. They looked at each other and laughed. The children smiled satisfyingly, looking at Maria, not as a governess, but as a mum.  
  
"We forgot to tell you!" Georg said looking down at his children with a grin. 


End file.
